Weekly Summary: Healthcare Quality and Worker Safety Information – June 24, 2026

[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]

Healthcare Quality and Worker Safety Information

Healthcare Quality Resources New from CDC: Local-Level COVID-19 Transmission Estimates (Rt) Now Available – CDC's Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics (CFA), in collaboration with the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), has launched sub-state COVID-19 epidemic trend (Rt) estimates—providing public health partners with earlier, more locally relevant insight into changes in disease transmission.  CFA’s epidemic trend website maps out the time-varying reproductive number (Rt) at the state and health service area (HSA) with models that use emergency department data from the National Syndromic Surveillance Program. The Rt estimates indicate whether SARS-CoV-2 infections are likely increasing, decreasing, or staying the same. Used alongside other surveillance metrics, these estimates provide a more complete picture of outbreak impact and trajectory.  Why it matters for your work:  State-level data may not provide the full picture of local variation. New sub-state Rt estimates are now available in many areas and can provide more local insight. State-level Rt has been shown to detect rising disease activity and epidemic waves 1 to 2 weeks earlier than was possible before. Now, sub-state Rt estimates use the same techniques at finer spatial resolution.  Public health practitioners, healthcare systems, and frontline responders can integrate these estimates into routine situational awareness, response readiness, and resource planning — before a local epidemic strains regional capacity.  Estimates are updated weekly for every state, with HSA-level metrics available in many areas.  FREE Continuing Education to Support Safer Healthcare Practices – Healthcare personnel play a critical role in preventing infections, improving patient outcomes, and advancing healthcare quality. CDC TRAIN, a national learning management system, offers free, on-demand training courses designed to help healthcare professionals strengthen their knowledge and skills in areas that support patient safety, infection prevention, healthcare quality, and public health practice. Many courses offer free continuing education and can be completed at your pace.  Explore training opportunities that can help protect patients and healthcare personnel:  Browse courses on CDC TRAIN.  Subscribe to CDC Learning Connection for curated training opportunities.

Outbreak Response New Think Ebola Factsheet – CDC is responding to an outbreak of Ebola disease affecting areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), South Sudan and Uganda. To date, no cases of Ebola disease have been confirmed in the United States because of this outbreak.  Early recognition is critical for healthcare worker and patient safety. While the risk of spread to the United States is considered low at this time, it is possible for travelers from affected areas to enter the United States. As a precaution, CDC is working to raise awareness of this outbreak among public health departments, healthcare facilities, and healthcare providers in the United States.  Healthcare facilities and providers should review the Think Ebola factsheet and be prepared to assess and identify patients who have risk factors for Ebola disease.   Additional Information:  CDC is available 24/7 for Ebola consultations by calling the CDC Emergency Operations Center at 770-488-7100.  Ebola Infection Prevention and Control for U.S. Healthcare Facilities  Ebola PPE for U.S. Healthcare Personnel  Clinical Signs and Symptoms of Ebola

Recent Publications CDC Study Finds Basic Infection Control Practices Save Newborns in Bangladesh from Antimicrobial-resistant Infections – A recent CDC study published in Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control assessed the impact of basic, low-cost infection prevention and control (IPC) practices on patient outcomes in a Bangladeshi NICU where patients had high rates of dangerous antimicrobial-resistant infections and colonization with antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.  Study interventions targeted the needs of the facility and focused on improving education, providing training and job aids, and auditing hand hygiene and environmental cleaning practices in the healthcare setting. As adherence to IPC practices increased, resistant infections in newborns decreased by 86% and deaths decreased by 85%.  This study highlights how targeted, low-cost improvements to environmental cleaning and hand hygiene practices—essential elements of IPC—can reduce infections and deaths from antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in high-risk units with vulnerable populations and limited resources. Read the full study to learn more.  The changing landscape of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions among advanced practice clinicians in the United States, 2011 and 2022 – This study highlights the growing role of advanced practice clinicians (APCs), including nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs), in outpatient antibiotic prescribing in the United States. In 2022, APCs accounted for approximately one in three antibiotic prescriptions per capita, compared to one in seven in 2011.   The analysis found that NP prescribing rates were highest in southeastern states, particularly in rural counties, reflecting the expanding role of NPs in rural outpatient care. Researchers also found that rural clinicians, including physicians and NPs, prescribed broader-spectrum, second-line antibiotics more frequently than clinicians in urban areas.  These findings highlight the importance of ensuring that antibiotic stewardship efforts actively engage and support APCs, particularly NPs practicing in rural settings.

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